Dent only Pa. member of Congress to break ranks

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  An eastern Pennsylvania member of Congress is the only one from the state's delegation to break party ranks in a dispute that's plunging the nation into a partial government shutdown.

U.S. Rep. Charles Dent voted late Monday night against Republican attempts to scale back President Barack Obama's signature health care law as the price to keep the federal government open and running.

Allentown-area Dent is in his fifth term. He says it's time to govern and the debate over the health care law should happen separately.

Pennsylvania's 13 other Republicans in Congress opposed Democrats' efforts to pass a funding bill free of provisions to scale back the health care law. However, suburban Philadelphia Rep. Patrick Meehan now says it's time for the House to vote for a short-term funding bill.